


Under It All

by Oudemia



Series: Who Holds the Devil [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blindness, Boys Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Has Issues, Loki Redemption, M/M, Rescue, Sick Loki, Taking advantage of people who may or may not be asleep, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 04:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2495258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oudemia/pseuds/Oudemia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A simple rescue mission ends up with Tony Stark trapped in a basement with a very sick Loki. But then in retrospect maybe that isn't the worst thing that could have happened..</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under It All

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled with the title for this one. I was going to call it 'Underground Overground' before I remembered that was the theme tune to 'The Wombles' which doesn't really set the right tone. It's a boring title, I admit, but hopefully the fic itself isn't. It worked for me, at least, but then I am a quivering jelly of emotions with far too many soft spots.  
> I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love any feedback - thanks!
> 
>  
> 
> DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Marvel, sadly, and not to me.

Tony couldn't honestly say why he'd agreed to this mission, except for the fact that he could tell Fury expected him to say no, and he hates to be second-guessed. Unless.. is it possible that Fury was playing that angle from the beginning and knew that's how Tony would react? Of course it is, the devious bastard. Still, there'll be plenty of time for retaliatory mind-games later, he's committed now and he has to see this through. Whatever the hell 'this' is.

 

There wasn't much time for a full briefing after all, just a short urgent call from Fury telling him that SHIELD had a man down in hostile territory and they needed a speedy extraction. They'd lost touch with their agent after he'd made it to the safe house and nobody knew why. There was definitely something off about the director's tone, and Tony couldn't resist prying. 

 

'This is all very flattering, obviously, but why can't you handle it yourself? Send a team or something. Isn't this more of a black ops type...thing?'

 

Fury glared at him (or was that just his normal expression? It was so hard to tell.) 'Let's just say the situation is sensitive. This particular individual won't work with any of our operatives and they sure as hell won't work with him. The guy pretty much defines the term 'loner', and things will only get messy if we send in the cavalry. I'd rather keep this between us, but we can't afford to lose him so just tell me now, are you in or not?' 

 

And somehow in that instant, Tony just knew. Loki. He'd had an idea that SHIELD had formed some sort of uneasy alliance with their former nemesis, but he was still surprised to find out he was right. Two years after the Battle of New York, Thor had admittedly shamefacedly that Loki had broken out of jail on Asgard, and he had no idea of his brother's whereabouts, and Tony had known then that they hadn't heard the last of him. Loki had had issues _before_ they'd smashed a hole in the floor with his face, then muzzled him like an animal and sent him home to face trial. People like that didn't just forgive and forget and learn from their mistakes. But of course, it had already been pointed out that there were no people like Loki.

And then he'd heard rumours, ghosts of rumours really, that there was a new player on the scene - someone working with SHIELD, operating under the radar, someone who did what no-one else could or would do, and had been seen to use what could only be described as magic.

Talk about a deal with the devil. Or god, whatever.

 

 

*****

 

 

Thanks to the Mark XLII suit, Tony reaches the safe house with only a few minor incidents despite the fact that it's halfway across the world and the territory is most definitely hostile. He makes sure nobody sees him enter the building, an ordinary-looking basement flat down a ruined back alley, and bolts the door behind him. The place is a mess - furniture strewn everywhere and a bloody handprint on the wall next to the refrigerator. Tony stares at it in shock - for some reason it hasn't occurred to him until now that Loki might actually be in trouble. He'd assumed all along that the god had just gone AWOL to pursue some selfish agenda of his own, and he'd have the satisfaction of knocking the smirk off that pretty face and hauling Loki back to SHIELD in disgrace. But what if this is a rescue mission after all? 

 

Tony reaches behind the fridge and finds the control panel, inputting the code Fury gave him, and as the appliance slides back to reveal a narrow staircase leading down, he wipes the smear of blood off the wall with a cloth. He doesn't want to leave any clues, just in case someone has been following him. Then he makes his way down the stairs and the hatch closes up behind him.

 

 

The steps lead to a small room furnished simply with a table and two chairs, a sink, a stove and a supply cupboard, while a door on the opposite wall stands slightly ajar. There's another red handprint, but this time it's on the floor near the door. Thoroughly unnerved now, and dreading what he's going to find, Tony puts one metal gloved hand on the door and pushes it open.

 

'Oh...damn.'

 

There's a narrow bed along the far wall but Loki hasn't made it that far. He's collapsed in a corner, sweat-soaked strands of hair sticking to his face, his eyes squeezed shut and his breathing shallow and rapid. He's shivering, and pale as a ghost, although apart from a deep cut on one hand, he looks physically uninjured. Still, the God of Mischief looks about as sick as Tony's ever seen anyone look in his life. But, the god being who he is, he approaches cautiously. 'Loki?' No response. 'Hey, anyone at home?'

 

Still nothing, and it's not until he gets within a couple of feet of the trembling deity that Loki's head jerks up. His eyes are still closed but his face is tense with alarm, and Tony hastens to reassure him.

 

'Hey, relax, it's Tony Stark, remember? The nice Earthling who offered you a drink and let you throw him through a window?'

 

Loki's hand stretches out gropingly and Tony takes a step back on instinct. But then he hears the unmistakable note of fear in the god's voice as he asks in a whisper 'Who is there?'

 

Something's very wrong here.

 

'That's a trick question, right? I thought we'd just established that.'

 

Still Loki shows no sign of having heard him and Tony has to admit that he's way out of his depth here, so he takes the almost unprecedented step of calling Fury for advice. The Director is clearly on high alert, waiting to hear from him. 'Well, is he there?'

 

'He's here, I'm here, everything's great. Oh wait, except for the fact that he doesn't recognise me and he looks like.. well, see for yourself.' He transmits a quick visual. 'I can't get him out in this state, I don't think he's up to it, so what the hell am I supposed to do with him now?'

 

There are quiet voices on the other end of the line, then Fury tells him 'There's been a slight change of plan. We need you to lay low for a couple of hours while we figure out what to do. But it's imperative that you stay close, and provide protection. Loki's completely vulnerable now and we need you to keep him safe.'

 

Tony is starting to lose his temper. This is so not what he signed up for. 'Do you want to tell me what the hell I am doing here? And since when does Mr kneel-and-worship-my-awesomess-you-puny-mortals need protecting?'

 

Fury pauses as if deciding between a lie and the truth, but then he heaves a deep resigned sigh. 'Because he's been infected.'

 

Tony takes another rapid step back, fully furious now. 'Son-of-a-bitch! Are you telling me I'm stuck in a basement in a war zone with an infectious psycho supervillain?'

 

'I wouldn't call him that to his face if I were you, he _really_ doesn't like it. Anyway, don't worry, the infection isn't transmissible to you, I guarantee it. But please, I'm asking you, just watch him till we get back to you. This is top priority.'

 

Then the line goes dead.

 

Tony stands there staring down at Loki and wonders, just for a moment, if he is cold enough to walk away. But that's also the moment Loki chooses to open his eyes and Tony realises that he's not going anywhere. Because now he understands why the god hasn't recognised him. Why he never contacted SHIELD, why he needs protection, and why he's slumped on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed only a few feet away. Loki is blind. And apparently deaf too.

His eyes are white opalescent orbs, swirling with faint streaks of light - the streaks intensify the longer he keeps them open until his hands fly to his face with a sharp cry of pain. Horrified, Tony reaches out to him and Loki's hand closes around his wrist with a speed that startles him, but there's no strength in it, not like the steel grip he can still remember around his throat. And as his narrow fingers explore the metal of the suit, Loki's brow furrows, 'I know you..'

 

'Good for you, now how about getting you a bit more comfortable?'

 

Loki barely resists as Tony heaves him to his feet, slings one arm across his shoulders, and practically drags him the few steps to the bed. At one point Loki's legs give way and he clutches at Tony's chest with his free hand, leaving yet another bloody smear on the metal. But then his head lolls against the breastplate and his hand falls limply by his side as he slips into unconsciousness.

 

'Probably for the best,' Tony mutters as he lays the god out on the bed, lifting his legs up and pulling off his boots. He draws the line at undressing him, and anyway, at some point the god has exchanged the cumbersome leathers of Asgard for a simpler style of attire, so it doesn't seem necessary. But he does fetch a wet cloth and carefully sponge Loki's clammy forehead. The heat coming off him is fierce and Tony doesn't know enough about Asgardian physiognomy to know how bad that is. Come to think of it, he doesn't know all that much about human physiognomy either - he's never been the type to hang around sick people and feed them soup. Just one of many many reasons why he's uncomfortable with the current situation. Finally, he bandages the cut on Loki's hand with a first aid kit he finds under the bed.

 

Then he switches off the light, gets himself out of the suit and goes into the next room to find a drink. Obviously there isn't one. The cupboard is well-stocked with canned and dried food, but no alcohol - what kind of world is it where a safe house doesn't even have a minibar? Not even an entertainment system - this is the worst babysitting job ever and he isn't even getting paid for it. Sulking badly now, he flops into one chair, puts his feet up on the other, and closes his eyes for a nap. Anything, _anything_ , rather than think about the deity passed out on the bed next door..

 

 

*****

 

 

All he is doing is checking on Loki - that's all. There is certainly no other reason for him to get up half an hour later, switch on the bedroom light (it's not like it's going to wake Loki), and peer down at the unconscious form on the bed. He watches the quick rise and fall of Loki's chest, the sleeping face, for once innocent of guile or mischief, and the dark tangle of hair on the pillow. The god is out cold - whatever happened to him has really knocked him sideways. Tony brings a chair from the other room and positions it beside the bed, knowing there's no way he's going back to sleep now.

 

So, the God of Lies, would-be conqueror of the Earth, is lying there helpless, completely at his mercy. The weakest of humans could beat him. If Loki were awake and could hear, Tony might be tempted to make some barbed comment, but as it is, he just can't bring himself to be smug at someone who's this vulnerable. Instead he feels an unexpectedly protective response. Which is weird because ordinarily Loki would need protection _from_ him, not by him. This whole situation is just surreal. And come to that, why is he here, really? Why did he take the mission in the first place and why is he in this room now, unable to tear his gaze from the bed? He'd be lying if he said that Loki didn't fascinate him on a number of levels. Who wouldn't be fascinated with someone with power and a mind like that? Still, he's been unable to get the god out of his head since their encounter in Stark Tower, and he's been reluctant to look too hard into the reasons for that.

 

Not that he's in any way bothered by being attracted to men - when you're as rich, open-minded and easily bored as Tony Stark, there's not a great deal you haven't tried, and some things are worth trying repeatedly just to make sure. But being attracted to a man is one thing. Being attracted to Loki...? Unpredictable, power-crazed, dangerously unstable Loki, who could twist his head off like a bottle cap and probably think nothing of it. He is beautiful though, despite the illness. His flawless skin, wide green eyes (well, usually green anyway), the sweep of dark hair, and good god, those cheekbones... The smooth clean lines of his face belying the complexity of the puzzle underneath, albeit a puzzle with several pieces missing.No wonder he was mistaken for a god, thinks Tony - people are worshipped today for far less than this. His loveliness is unworldly, heightened. Decadent even.

 

Tony finds his eyes wandering over the outline of Loki's body under the sheets. Like his mind, the rest of Loki is never still for long. He stirs restlessly, long legs tangling in the sheets, hands plucking at the bedclothes, his head tossing on the pillow and his lips constantly moving, mouthing words Tony can't make out in different exotic tongues. He puts his ear close and after listening for a while he finally catches a familiar word. '..Water..'

 

He fills a glass from the sink in the kitchen and supports Loki's head with one hand while he drinks thirstily, then lowers it back onto the pillow as the god settles down with a sigh. He doesn't entirely remove it though, combing back Loki's damp hair with his fingers in a way he hopes might be comforting. 

 

It isn't. A sudden rush of lucidity has Loki jerking upright and looking wildly about him. Tony tries to calm him, but his words go unheard, and as Loki struggles to get out of bed, Tony is forced to bodily restrain him. Near panic now, Loki thrashes against him, and Tony shudders to think of the damage he could have done if he were at full strength. But with his power gone, he is easily subdued, and Tony is filled with guilt at the terror he sees on the god's face. He has to find another way of communicating, to let Loki know that he means him no harm. So as Loki looks up at him and begs in an agonised voice, ' _Who_?', Tony takes one of the thin hands and guides it to his chest, placing Loki's palm flat against his arc reactor. Loki draws in a sharp breath and snatches back his hand. 'Stark!'

 

Tony waits, breathlessly, not sure what the god's reaction will be, but a few seconds later, the hand returns, tentatively, and curls around his wrist. And there it stays as Loki's head falls to one side in a quiet sleep. Tony understands perfectly, it's not affection Loki is seeking, only a connection to reality. Without Tony's hand he's all alone in a dark world, a void, without sound or vision and Tony isn't about to leave him there. He's not that cruel.

 

 

*****

 

He feels an exploratory hand in his, the fingers resting softly on his palm. Then they spread out, fingertips touching his own, and contract, fingers interlocking like an embrace. It's as if their two hands are entities in themselves, all of them concentrated into that one point of contact. Tony lets the other hand move over his with the tenderness of a lover. Then the fingers slide up the inside of his wrist to the elbow, and he lets himself be gently pulled forward. 

 

Is this really happening?

 

Just a dream, a soft voice tells him, and he allows himself to believe it because his whole body is alive with excitement and he isn't sure he can stop. 

 

He imagines... or feels... Loki's desperation for touch, for the return of sensation as the god pulls him down, one hand behind his head. Hardly daring to breathe, he touches his lips to the god's, feeling that fierce heat envelop him. Loki stirs under him, and Tony kisses him again, feeling soft lips open to the pressure of his own. He tells himself he has the upper hand here - the god is weakened, blind and delirious, but when Loki arches his back and moans into his mouth, he has never felt less in control.

 

Without his realising it, his hand is reaching down to Loki's waist, then sliding up his side, eliciting a soft purr of satisfaction. 'If this isn't a dream, I am so screwed,' he mutters, running his hand back down that slender body to rest on one hip. Loki stretches like a cat, shifting himself so that Tony's wrist grazes the front of his pants, and his legs move slightly apart. 'Oh fuck....' Tony moans, as he feels a hand glide simultaneously along his own thigh. This is getting near to the moment when he usually wakes up, torn between alarm at the subject of his dream and frustration that it ended so abruptly. But this time the hand reaches its intended destination and clever fingers send spikes of pleasure through his lower body. His own hand moves of its own accord, slipping down between Loki's thighs and then teasingly back up until the god throws his head back with a ragged gasp. He leans down again and kisses Loki hard, catching his lower lip between his teeth and biting gently. Loki's eyes spring open and with a sudden shock he realises that they are white, not green like in his dreams, and he jerks back to reality, bolting upright in the chair. 

 

'Um. Whoa?'

 

Did he just imagine that? There's no way that actually just happened, is there? He can't even begin to count the reasons why it would be a bad idea, although the words 'infectious' and 'supervillain' do leap to mind. As for the ethics of taking advantage of a blind half-conscious... nope, not even going to go there. He looks down at Loki, and sees a slight smile on the god's lips. Is it his imagination or is the lower lip a little redder than it was earlier?

 

No, no, no, just a dream. That's the only possibility. But before he settles down again, he takes Loki's hand and places it carefully back on his wrist, and the fingers close around it again.

 

 

*****

 

 

He must have fallen asleep, because when he wakes up Loki is gone. 

Tony leaps to his feet, checking his watch - it's been less than an hour. He feels the panic rising, questions flooding into his head. Has Loki been taken? Why haven't SHIELD contacted them yet? What's he going to tell Fury? But to his immense relief, the god hasn't got far. He is slumped against a wall in the kitchen area, breathing unevenly, a sheen of sweat on his brow.

 

Exasperated, Tony stands over him. He knows he's only talking to himself, but still, this is ridiculous.'Seriously? Where did you expect to go in your condition? You'd actually rather be out there alone, deaf, blind, barely able to stand, than have someone look after you? You are so fucked up, you make me feel normal! I kind of like it actually. I almost want to let you go just to see how far you'd get, but I promised Fury I'd keep you safe. Plus I'd only end up having to rescue you again from god knows what, and I'm tired, ok?'

 

Loki flinches as Tony grabs his arm to hoist him up, a little more roughly than he'd intended, and he feels a pang of guilt at the soft gasp of pain. As he lowers Loki onto the bed, he adds, 'And stay there. No trying to escape, no weird dreams or messing with my head...'

 

'What weird dreams?'

 

Tony is totally not expecting an answer and is taken aback at being understood. 'You can hear me?'

 

Loki smirks, clearly relishing the surprise in Tony's voice. 'Apparently my hearing is back to normal, but given the company, I am not so sure that is an advantage.'

 

'Oh that was quick. Straight from the English Patient to your normal sarcastic bastard routine. Well at least you can give me an answer - what the hell were you thinking just now?'

 

'What would you have done?' asks Loki crossly, 'I woke up blind and sick in a strange place with no memory of the night before, and I sensed a presence beside me. Would you not have tried to make your escape?'

 

Tony laughs drily. 'Thanks for the useful insight into your sex life there. I can't say it's a huge surprise, I never figured you for the romantic type.' 

 

Somehow, and god only knows how, Loki manages to give him an eloquently blank stare without opening his eyes. But they're getting into dangerous territory here and Tony hastens to change the subject. 'So, apparently you're infected. By what?'

 

'Do not worry, it is not dangerous to you.' But there's an odd expression on Loki's face that he can't quite read.

 

'Want to tell me about it? I mean, you don't have to, but you should realise I'm in a pretty powerful position here. I know it's not cool to take advantage of the blind, but I don't think anyone in the world would judge me if I posted pictures of you with a...

 

'Enough! Do not think that your feeble threats are having any effect on me, but... I suppose you do deserve to know why you are here.'

 

'Well yeah. I'm glad someone's finally admitting that, though I didn't think it would be you.'

 

'Do you wish to hear this or not? Very well then. The poison in my blood is man-made, created by Hydra as a weapon against those with an enhanced body chemistry. It is harmless to humans, but to Asgardians, to your Captain America, to Doctor Banner and others of their ilk, it is potentially lethal and at the very least renders them defenceless. I was tasked with destroying the laboratory where it was being produced, but not before acquiring a sample for testing. Which I have. SHIELD will be able to extract it from my blood upon my return.'

 

Loki looks exhausted by the exertion of talking, but Tony can detect a small satisfied smile at the corner of his mouth.

 

'That makes sense... mostly. But wouldn't it have been easier to just steal a test tube or something?'

 

'I suppose. But then I would always have been wondering when SHIELD would see fit to use the drug on me. I am useful to them now, but what if one day their distrust of me should outweigh my usefulness? I would have put a weapon into their hands with which to destroy me, would I not?'

 

Tony lets out a slow breath, more impressed than he wants to let on. 'But now you're vaccinated?'

 

Loki nods. 'One of the Hydra scientists told me the required amount before I neutralised him. Although I admit that my reaction to it was more severe than I had calculated for. I was barely able to make it back here before my faculties failed me. It is a potent threat, but luckily one that need no longer trouble Thor or the others.'

 

Tony is still staring at him, open-mouthed, and Loki seems to sense it, putting his head on one side. 'Do not be surprised. It's what I do, Stark. I take note of everything that can be used to my advantage, lest I have need of it some day. Be glad I'm on your side now.'

 

'Oh, I am,' Tony replies with feeling, but he couldn't help noticing a sadness in the god's voice and he adds quietly, 'You really don't trust anyone, do you?'

 

Loki sighs. 'This human obsession with trust is not entirely helpful. Do you trust anyone completely? To be trusted implicitly, perhaps that would be dull.'

 

'I guess that's one way of looking at it.'

 

They're both quiet for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Tony can't begin to guess what Loki's thinking but he himself is pondering the question of trust. Somehow, he thinks, Loki always seems to find a way to survive. You couldn't keep him down for long, and he always finds a way to come out on top. If he judges everyone by his own standards then of course he can't trust anyone. But then again, what has actually happened here? Loki has worked with SHIELD, completed the mission, done everything they asked of him and protected Thor and the others from a very credible threat. And yet he's trying to make it sound underhand and self-serving. Who is fooling who? Is this Loki trying to prove to himself that he hasn't changed, simply to avoid having to make real connections with people? It's a lonely life, Tony can vouch for that. 

 

He fetches a couple of energy bars from the kitchen and puts one in Loki's hand. The god hesitates for a moment, but then swallows it in two bites - he must have been starving. Trust is a long slow process though, and when Tony tries to examine his bandaged hand, Loki snatches it back. 'Look, it's bleeding through,' Tony protests, 'Can I just...?'

 

'Not if you hope to retain the use of your fingers', Loki growls. 'Leave it.'

 

Tony stands up, suddenly very tired of all these games, the defensiveness and the mixed messages.

 

'Oh right, yeah, I forgot. You can't trust anyone but yourself, everyone's out to get you, blah blah blah. How long are you going to keep this up? It might not have occurred to you yet, but Fury clearly does trust you, or he wouldn't have let you _near_ a weapon like this. You might want to think about returning the favour some day.'

 

He stalks out of the room, but stops at the door and turns round. 'And another thing, try working on the attitude. You can't work out if you think you're better than everyone else, or much worse. Well maybe you're somewhere in the middle, along with the rest of us.'

 

And Tony turns and walks out, the memory of Loki's astonished face burnt into his mind. 

 

 

*****

 

 

'You are still here?'

 

Rather than sounding snarky, the voice is genuinely surprised, and Tony looks up to see Loki clinging to the doorframe. Green eyes meet his brown ones, and it's strange, he should feel a sense of unease at Loki's return to his former self, but somehow he doesn't. There's something challenging and yet helpless in that look that he finds curiously touching. But still he waits for Loki to speak first, which he does in a quiet voice.

 

'I have told Fury that there is no need for him to send transport, I will shortly be well again and can make my own way back. But... ' his voice becomes quieter still. 'Will you stay for a while longer? Just until I am fully recovered?'

 

Well he's hardly going to say no. By way of answer, Tony gets another bottle of water from the cupboard and places it on the table by the other chair. Loki makes his way unsteadily across the room and collapses gratefully into the chair, emptying the bottle in one go. Then he continues to regard Tony with that same look. Eventually he breaks the silence again. 'I have not spent a great deal of time in this realm, but from what I have seen, I suspect that you are unusual even among your own kind.'

 

'I am definitely going to take that as a compliment, given the source.'

 

There is pause, during which Tony opens his mouth to speak but stops himself twice. Does he really want to get into this? Eventually Loki sighs. 'Clearly you wish to say something. I cannot guarantee my reaction, but we have to pass the time somehow. What is on your mind?'

 

Fine then. 'I was just wondering, why did you come back to Earth when you escaped from Asgard? There must have been safer places, where nobody knew what an asshole you were yet.'

 

Loki doesn't even seem to register the 'asshole' comment. 'Safety is relative. And the universe is smaller than you might think when you have done what I have done.'

 

'Ok then, and you're helping us because...?'

 

'Do you know why you do everything?' Loki shoots back defensively.

 

'Do I look like I do? But we're not talking about me. It's an honest question. Before you struck me as the kind of guy who planned every move in advance, always thinking about the endgame, but I can't think of a single reason why you would want to come back here. At least not one that fits with what I know about you.'

 

'Then maybe you do not know me as well as you would like to think.'

 

'Yeah, that's what I'm wondering too.'

 

'Enlighten me then,' Loki snaps. 'Tell me your theories. Explain to me what I am doing here on your benighted planet.' There's a high note to Loki's voice, a tinge of desperation and Tony realises that the god really does want to hear this, that he genuinely might not understand his own motivations.

 

'They're just theories, but bear in mind you're talking to a certified genius here.'

 

Loki snorts in derision and Tony proceeds cautiously. After all, there probably isn't a therapist on the planet who could deal with Loki's level of crazy, and here he is blundering about like a toddler in a snake pit. He shrugs. 'I don't pretend to know your motives, but a few things come to mind. Guilt? Penance maybe? I don't think you'd admit it to yourself for a second, but it must have crossed your mind when you were sitting in that prison cell that you'd fucked us over and for what? You're good at what you do, but you wasted your abilities and maybe you wanted to use them to make it right. And.. I don't know, you like to think you're so different, but you saw us, a bunch of, what was it, 'lost creatures' and how we all pulled together, and maybe you wanted to be a part of something bigger. Or maybe you were just lonely.'

 

Loki is looking at him in absolute amazement, his mouth agape. 'You are suggesting that I... what? That I missed you?'

 

'Like I said, just theories. You got anything better?'

 

Loki stares at him for a lot longer than is comfortable before remarking casually, 'Perhaps I like the food here.'

 

'Uh huh. Which is why you're still skinny as a supermodel. Do SHIELD not look after you?

 

'I think I have had enough of talking after all.' Loki turns away to face the wall but Tony can see that the god's eyes are wide and he is deep in thought. He has a sudden flash of insight into what being in a relationship with Loki would be like, and almost laughs out loud. And the weirdest thing is that it doesn't actually seem like a bad thing. Tony is a man who gets bored easily and it occurs to him that one would never get a chance to be bored around Loki. Angry, confused, occasionally scared perhaps, but never bored.

 

It isn't long after that that Tony hears footsteps upstairs and low voices. He leaps to his feet, only to find Loki suddenly appearing between him and the door. That's...unexpected. The hatch opens and Loki gestures to him to stay back, but then the voice of Nick Fury echoes down the steps. 'Anyone still alive down there?'

 

Filled with relief, Tony shouts back, 'More or less. Thought you weren't coming?'

 

'Well, we were halfway here anyway, so we thought we'd save you the trip. When you're ready.'

 

It's over. Loki turns around slowly, and there's something nakedly wistful in his eyes as he says, 'It has been a curious few hours. I owe you my thanks, and I am grateful also for your honesty. I suspect I shall be in quarantine for the next few weeks and you have given me food for thought at least.'

 

He inclines his head graciously and turns to go, but Tony grabs his arm. 'Loki, wait. That kind of sounds like a brush-off. Did you mean it that way?'

 

Loki stares down at his hand as if entranced. 'Like a... ?'

 

'Well, I feel like we might have started to get to know each other a bit down here and, I don't know, would it be crazy to go out for a drink sometime when you're out of rehab or whatever?'

 

Loki raises his eyes slowly until they are boring into his, and leans into him slightly. 'You spoke of a dream last night - I too had a dream...' He's searching for something in Tony's face, and he appears to find it because his smile is quite unlike his usual sharp hungry grin. It is pure delight.

 

'A drink then. Do not forget.'

 

' _Extremely_ unlikely.'

 

But then Fury's calling them impatiently, and together they head for the stairs leading up to the open.

 


End file.
